proteção jurídica
Published 8 November 2026, 19:36
proteção jurídica (state legal aid)
State help for people who cannot afford a lawyer and court costs: a lawyer is appointed and court fees are waived in full or in part. The procedure is set out in law, Lei n.º 34/2004; you apply to Segurança Social, either on paper at a branch or online.
Where you come across it. A court dispute, a removal case, an appeal against a government decision, a criminal case.
Foreigners have this right too, not only Portuguese citizens. In removal cases a lawyer is appointed urgently, as for a defendant in a criminal case, and on request documents are translated and an interpreter is provided.
Official website: gov.pt/servicos/pedir-protecao-juridica